2 minutes ago I finished submitting my application for Moody Bible Institute!!!

I had a great time visiting Moody when I was in the States, and I really feel like that's the place God wants me. We'll find out towards the end of January if my feelings are accurate! It's all in God's hands now!

The application was hard but fun - four essays on home life, spiritual development, ministry opportunities and ministry and vocational goals. And limited to 500 words! I'm glad it's all behind me now...now I can focus on maturita! Out of the fire and into the frying pan. (or at least that's what I think it is...) Haha! How about a picture of a nice cute little fire:

It's kind of interesting to have two big landmark events on this day...the first is that this is my 100th blog post!! It's been a long journey. The second is that today marks 15 years of our family serving in the Czech Republic!! That's been an even longer journey!

Another journey I've been on for the past 3+ years is high school - more specifically Beskydy Mountain Academy. It's been such a privilege to be a part of what God's doing in our school. I'm on my last stretch of the BMA journey...and it's going by quickly!


Yesterday we had our class "stužkovák" - a dinner party put together by the graduating class for the rest of the school, friends and family. We all dressed up, enjoyed conversation among dinner and pictures of our class. It was a great time!


At the end the teacher in charge of our class, Mr. Till dubbed us "maturanti" (future graduates) and presented us with ribbons! (pictures are me being knighted, and my good friend Patrick and I happy with our ribbons!)



Overall it was a very enjoyable, and low-key night. I was very tired afterwards, but had a great time with people. Plus, mom got to come, which was really fun! If you want to know a little more about the evening from her perspective, head over to her blog: http://livingbylysa.blogspot.com

And here is our "maturitní ročník 2008/2009!"

Started my Moody application today!! It's intense.

I fly to the States November 12th for a couple days to visit with dad, so I'm pretty excited for that!

I'm really looking forward to this week. We have all five school days off, and I plan on working on some more recording (Caleb's computer is finally fixed!), regaining strength and spending time with special people.

Oh! And I've been writing songs a lot more lately - I'm feeling really good about it! So hopefully you'll be seeing a CD around Christmas time...

For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. (Luke 11:10)

It's a lot easier to wish. I wish I got an iPhone for Christmas, I wish I was more outgoing, I wish God would do something in this situation. We learn to wish from when we're very small children. "Blow out the candles and make a wish!" Or even the song in Pinocchio: "When you wish upon a star...your dreams come true." Or if you rub the bottle, the genie will give you three wishes.


It's so much easier to wish. You make evident the fact that you want something without making yourself too vulnerable. And if you wish you might actually get what you want - but not very often.

What would happen if I started asking? Jesus said himself that whoever asks will receive. It may not be what we expect, but God knows best what we need. There's no such promise about wishing.

But asking is so much harder! Often I think to myself: "I don't want them to have to go out of their way for me," or "If I ask I won't receive anyway, so what's the point?" But Jesus tells us to ask. And to seek. And to knock.

I'm learning to ask instead of just wish. Some things I've been wishing for a while but am starting to turn into requests are:

- That I would get into the right college.
- That I could be a better example and leader to the kids at youth group, as well as at school.
- That I would be able to record an album with my original songs by the end of 2008!
- That I would find the perfect girl. This has really been on my heart lately (a bit surprisingly).
- That I would always be prepared for Jesus to come and take me home.
- That I would love my enemies (and people who I don't get along with super well).

And the list could go on. I can ask for all these things, but what's the most important?

- That I would live for Christ, and He through me.

It may sound kind of cheesy...and I'm definitely not there yet, but I might as well ask!

There are some very exciting things happening over here in the Czech Republic right now! Possibly the biggest thing is that Josiah Venture has the privilege of working with the California rock group Dizmas for 6 weeks this fall! Two have gone by, and it's been awesome having them here.

Basically what they're doing is during the week they visit Czech public schools, have a small concert in a gym, and invite the kids to the BIG concert at the end of the week. At this concert Zach, the lead singer, shares the gospel with up to 300 unbelievers. It's just amazing.

This tour is also to help promote the new Exit 316 season that is airing on Czech television once a week, and to get kids involved in Exit discussion groups, as well as the local youth group.



Last week Dizmas had their first concert in Hradec Kralove, and this Saturday was their second concert in Cesky Tesin. The turnout of people was awesome, and will only continue to get better as people spread the news. Next week is in Havirov, and I'm looking forward to helping set up equipment and enjoying another rockin' concert!


Dizmas is THE nicest and most joyful band you'll ever meet. We've had the immense privilege as a family to have them over for dinner once a week since they arrived to debrief and relax. I'm looking forward to continue helping out and spending time with them during these next few weeks! I know I can learn a lot from them, both musically as well as spiritually. It's great to have them here!

In technology class this year with Mr. Lobel, Patrick and I are programming little robots! As you can see on the picture, today we were given a "maze" assignment. We had to guide the robot through the maze (on the papers) basically by trial and error. It took us the whole hour and a half to finish, mostly because we got off to a bad start and had to get some help from our wonderful teacher. But 3 minutes before the end of class, the little robot set off on an adventure and completed the maze succesfully. Let's have a round of applause for Mr. Robot!


And here is a glimpse of the code that we used, just to give you an idea of what we're doing.


We were very happy students by the end of that class. Looking forward to next week again!

Mom convinced me to have a little "photo shoot" up in the forest today...I'm really happy with how the pictures turned out! So new picture on the banner, and here are some other favorites! (However, unlike my brother, I don't have much experience in posing for pictures...I'm usually the one taking them. Maybe Caleb will have to give me some pointers!)

RABBITS!!!

I cannot speak French.

This year, I decided to take piano lessons! Every Friday from 4 to 5 I go to the art school and trade places with Claire for our teacher. Claire had a year of piano with Mr. Saniter, an amazing teacher and pianist, and loved it so much that I felt I had no choice but to try as well!


Today I had my fourth lesson, and I was not disappointed. Fridays usually end up being a difficult and tiring day at school, but lessons with Mr. Saniter always brighten up my day.

One thing I love about my teacher is that he teaches the person, he doesn't teach material. Every person to him is an individual who requires different learning methods. For me, we will focus in the future a lot on improvisation with chords and getting a feel for the piano, instead of playing complex classical pieces (I'm really bad at reading notes!). It's great to have someone who understands me musically and allows me to learn what I need to learn, but also what I want to learn.

The first song I chose for him to teach me is "Lost!" by Coldplay. Ever since I heard it I knew I wanted to be able to play it. Now, three weeks later, I can! It's not the most difficult song, but I learned a lot along the way.

My next song is "Complainte de La Butte" by Rufus Rainwright. Some of you may have heard it in the movie Moulin Rouge (in the very beginning when they're showing Paris and Christian's father is shown in a flashback). I'm really excited about it!

A great thing about "Lost!" is that I can sing along with it. However, "Complainte de La Butte" is, as the name implies, in French. Heh. I cannot speak French. But if I ever do figure out the words i will feel very good! :) (Luckily there is a "nananana" part...)

Looking at old photographs is an interesting experience for me.


It's almost as if I'm recovering from a light case of amnesia. There are a few moments and experiences I remember, but overall it's a fog.

Somehow, because I have trouble remembering what it was like before moving to Frydlant I imagine that it must have been a traumatic experience that is better left untouched. In psychology we learned about a "self-fulfilling prophecy" - something comes true precisely because you believe it. Over the years I've created a mental block which makes it difficult to remember good memories of living in Havirov. My beliefs are therefore fueled by the creations of my mind.

A few evenings ago, after a family conversation, I put on some music and cracked open a photo album. What I found shocked me!

In almost every picture of myself I am smiling! Not the "let's take a picture!" smile, but a pure, happy, untroubled smile. Trust me, I know how I look when I'm not enjoying something! (and surprisingly, I am completely comfortable with daddy cutting my hair!) ˅˅˅˅



It's gotten me thinking. A lot. And that's where these pictures help, and that's why they mean so much to me now. Who knows, I could have carried that burden with me all my life. But God sent several things my way to make sure that didn't happen:

1. Great parents who despite their increasing age still have sharp (and wise) minds!

2. Photo albums untouched by my hands for MANY years and

3. People.

The people are the ones who have helped the most. Not just any people - but people my age, who I used to know as a little kid. People who I used to go to Sunday school with, or who went to kindergarten with my brother.

2008 has been a year of reconnecting with my past. The bad experiences may have been aplified for the past 7 years, but God is helping me make sense of what has happened and the fog is lifting. And wheras a year ago I would have attempted to distance myself as much as possible from life in Havirov, now I am filled with a fire to reconnect with old friends, visit the city I grew up in and regain as much knowledge and memories from that era that I can.

Many of you may know the reasons behind our moving and the difficulties our family faced, but as my dad recently said:

"The end may have been bad, but it doesn't mean the rest of it was."

Today was a very exhausting, but really cool. I'll tell you what made it a good day:

1. Cloudy weather = shade
2. Short day in school (11:30!)
3. Good friends Patrick and Adam
4. Skateboards
5. Skatepark in Trinec

Adam is two years younger than me and lives in a town 35 km away called Trinec. Every day he gets on a bus...which takes him to a train...which he rides until he reaches the good town of Frydlant, where he walks to our beloved Beskydy Mountain Academy. Then, after school has ended, he does the same thing (except in reverse order)!


Today Patrick and I got a taste of what it is to live so far away and have to spend almost two hours travelling there and back. I don't know if I would survive! More than half the students have to take a train or bus to get to school. It's too bad for them...but it should show you how unique BMA is that students would sacrifice time, money and energy to attend it!


So anyway, today i took the train and bus to Trinec with Patrick and Adam. Our destination was the Trinec skatepark, which is in the middle of nowhere, but definitely the coolest skatepark I've ever skated at.


I've been skating for about 3 years, and I don't nearly skate enough, but I'm pretty proud of what I can actually do! It's a great way to get outside and get some exercise, but I'm not such a fan of the sweating-like-a-pig part. Hmm.


It's sad that fall is coming, which means less skating because of rain. But hopefully I'll get some good days in, as soon as I rest my poor legs and feet from today! And you know what winter brings........snowboarding!! I hear there's supposed to be a ton of snow this year...

Today is the 2nd of September, the 2nd day of my last year of High School! It has started off magnificently, and I am very excited about some things.

One cool thing is that Caleb is at school with me at BMA, starting his first year of High School!


But in order to move on and look to the future, I feel the need to review some highlights of the summer for you! You may now proceed.

To start where my last post left off, I turned 18 on July 20th! I got some great gifts and spent the day with awesome people. I am so thankful to everyone for being so thoughtful and generous with your presents! My parents (especially my dad) were especially generous, and bought me a new electric guitar!! I am so excited to be able to use it this next year as we put together a worship band in our youth group. I will have it for MANY years to come. Thank you!!


To celebrate my new era of life, Caleb, Seth, Hudson and I underwent a "hike of manhood" at 1 AM on July 20th. I will forever remember this as the first thing I did as a man! It was an incredible time as we hiked the tallest mountain in our mountain range, Lysa Hora. We spent the time talking about life, love and memories. After 2 and a half hours we reached the top, watched the sunrise as we froze, and prayed for each other. I'm so thankful for these three friends.


Saying goodbye to Hudson, Corrie, Seth, Alex and Kari after spending two weeks together was a sad but good moment. Though afterwards I felt completely exhausted, every moment of those 14 days was blessed with smiling and good times. Two days we spent recording songs, which was so much fun! Here are two songs that turned out especially well for your enjoyment! Both are songs from movies - Falling Slowly from Once, and Come What May from Moulin Rouge. You may remember hearing Falling Slowly on my blog before, but this one's a lot better =)

Get this widget | Track details | eSnips Social DNA

Get this widget | Track details | eSnips Social DNA

We also recorded a few songs that I've written, but I still need to do some work on them before they are ready for the public ear! Maybe you'll hear a short preview sometime soon. ;)



On August 9th our family joined the Hash and Ellenwood families as we drove down to Croatia! This was the 6th year of doing vacation together, and it keeps getting better and better. Our destination was the island of Hvar, the sunniest island in Croatia!

I am usually not a beach person, but I really enjoyed Croatia this year. The location was incredible, and the nature stunning. I only swam twice, but the water was very alluring as well! Most of my time was spent in our hammock! I brought 8 books and read 7 in the ten days we were on Hvar. I'd say that was time well spent!

As on most of our vacations, I was dubbed official photographer, something I look forward to every year. Here are a few pictures I'm especially proud of!






After ten days on Hvar, we drove 7 hours north to the city of Zadar, where we hopped on a ferry and headed to Josiah Venture Kids camp! Becca did an amazing job once again, and Andrea's (or I should say Queen Blue's) teaching was so inspiring. I was especially blessed to have Ben Williams as my "personal" counsellor! As last year, Hannah and I led worship every evening by the sea. It was a great way to use our gifts to bless the other kids and be good examples to them! Not to mention we had a ton of fun.



However, one sad part about camp was the fact that it was my last JV kids camp! I've been one of the few that's been going steadily for the past 6 years or so. I am feeling less and less like an actual JV kid as I'm getting older, but my love for JV kids just continues to grow. I'll enjoy watching some new changes for JV kids from a distance for the next four years as I'm in college!



It's been great being back home in Frydlant. There are some big things coming up in my fourth and final year of high school, but I can talk about those later. Now that I'm caught up posts should be shorter and more regular (hopefully several times a week), so be sure to check back every once in a while!

Alright! I'm 18!! I can get a drivers license, I can vote, and am officially a man!

I'm really excited about this new era in my life! These past couple days have been awesome leading up to my birthday. Let me tell you about them!


I suppose it started on Friday the 18th. I was planning on going out for dinner with Mark Krupa, along with Hudson and Seth (visiting from Arkansas). He picked us three up at 6:30 and we started driving. We drove for an hour, not knowing at all where we were headed. Finally we arrived in a little town called Bilovec, which was the deadest town you'll ever see on a Friday night! No action whatsoever =)

So we found a sketchy "food window", grabbed some dinner, and then Mark told us what he had planned. In the back of his car were lawn chairs, a foldable table, blankets and snacks. He had found out that there was an outdoor movie theater in Bilovec, and we were going to it! While waiting for the place to open, Mark pulled out some Kofola and shot glasses, and we had a little toast.


But Mark wasn't done yet. Out of his backpack he pulled the grossest Czech food ever - tlačenka. (jibblie, jibllie, jibblie) It's basically pressed meat, but it's mostly fat and is very slimy. Take a look for yourself!


And so, we all took a bite out of the tlačenka and it was horrible. Hudson couldn't swallow it, and Seth was close to throwing up! We were very glad we had the Kofola to wash it down with afterwards.

The movie that was playing was The Superhero Movie, which is a parody of Spider-Man and other superheros. We laughed sooo hard!


By now it was 10:30. On the drive back to Frydlant Mark suggested we make a quick trip over to a place called Stramberk, which happens to be one of my favorite towns. Situated on a hill, Stramberk is the epitome of awesome.


All in all, it was an amazing evening. I was so glad we could do something totally random that I could remember my 18th birthday by. Thanks so much Mark for making this birthday such a special one!


And this was not the end of the festivities...there is much more to come! =)

Well, the rest of the family is back! Now the summer can really start.

It's weird, but without our family being complete I can't be very creative! It's hard for me to draw or paint figures when people aren't around. I have to have the sense that life is going on around me; mom's making dinner, dad's out in the garden, Claire's watching a movie, Caleb's practicing his bass...life inspires me!

I guess that's also why it's easier for me to write a paper in a crowded coffee shop than alone in my room. Life inspires me.

And so, with life back at home, I finally sat down and started painting a few orc figues. I'm about half-finished now, but I'm not in any rush...

Here's the orcs' leader (Gothmog) that I painted before we left for the States. The rest of the orcs will have armor similar to him but be on foot. I'm pretty proud of how this guy turned out!

To celebrate our amazing English Camp and to thank the Czech team, our church payed for us to go out for dinner together! So we all dressed up, ate food and relaxed. It was an awesome time without any responsibilities just being able to chat, laugh and be with great people!





Afterward some of us went bowling! I must admit it wasn't my best game...


It's so weird being back home and not having a million things to get done. On one hand it feels nice, but on the other I don't feel I've accomplished anything at the end of the day =) Ah well, I'm sure I'll find some projects sooner or later.

Mom, dad and Claire fly home tomorrow! I'm really excited for at least some structure to return to my life!

I have to get pictures from Caleb, and once I do I'll write more about English Camp! One thing I can say now is that God worked there in supernatural ways. Even though we expected some great things to happen, He just keeps on blowing us away! =)